United Airlines -- of the famous "Fly the Friendly Skies" slogan -- just got a lot less dog-friendly. The biggest air carrier in the world recently decided that some dogs can’t fly with their families, because United doesn’t like the way they look.
United is now the only airline in the U.S. to have singled out nine different breeds of dog as "dangerous" based on their appearance, barring them from flying.
Jessie Huart discovered the policy when she was trying to book a ticket to travel with her family's dog, a 10-year-old pit bull named Slaw. She was told by the airline that because he's a pit bull, Slaw couldn’t travel. But Slaw isn't just a pet -- he's a member of the family, so
Jessie started a petition on Change.org to ask United to treat all dogs equally, regardless of breed. Click here to add your name to Jessie’s petition.
Misconceptions and dangerous legislation banning some breeds of dog are being challenged -- and overturned -- all across the U.S. Public officials are starting to listen to the outcry for more effective, breed-neutral policies, knowing that
breed bans result in the deaths of thousands of innocent dogs. Just last month, the country’s only statewide breed discriminatory law was repealed in Ohio.
But since Jessie's petition launched -- now signed by more than 30,000 people -- United's only response has been to remove the word "dangerous" when describing dog breeds on its website, but those breeds are still unfairly singled out.
And canine profiling in a major company like United could turn that tide back against the dogs.
If thousands of dog-loving United customers sign Jessie’s petition, the airline will have to listen -- sending a strong message to other companies and lawmakers that breed discrimination isn’t the way to go.
Sign Jessie’s Change.org petition asking United to make the skies dog-friendly by dropping its breed-discriminatory policy.
Thanks for being a change-maker,
- Stephanie and the Change.org Team
